In Memoriam ’23] “He was just a polite person,” Diamond*Yukai reveals “The real face of Atsushi Sakurai.

Atsushi Sakurai
Died on October 19 at the age of 57

Atsushi Sakurai, 57, of the rock group BUCK-TICK, passed away on October 19, 2011. In 1984, he formed “Blame GO-GO,” the predecessor band of BUCK-TICK. The band later changed its name to “BUCK-TICK” and made its major debut in ’87. The band had a great influence on visual-kei bands.

Diamond Yukai, who has led the rock world together with Sakurai, reveals the true face of Sakurai.

A rock ‘n’ roller who was very kind and well-liked by everyone.
Diamond Yukai (musician)

Acchan was a very polite person. His face was exotic, and he used a full bottle of hairspray to straighten his hair. He was a rock ‘n’ roller, but when you talked to him at ……, he was a very gentle man.

The first time I saw him at a bar, he always came to say hello and if the bar was full, he would say, “I’m leaving now, please come in and take a seat. When we performed together at live events, he always greeted me properly, as all the members do. I was four years older than him and made my debut earlier than him, so you might think it was natural, but rock musicians at that time were mostly yankee guys. It was rare to find someone like Acchan, who was so low profile, and he was well liked by everyone.

The 80s, when BUCK-TICK and BOØWY were around, was the very beginning of rock music. Back then, they were all like rivals, but I even respected the way they kept the same members rock all the way into the 21st century.

I am proud of Acchan who went through this era, and we who are left behind will do our best to do what we can.

From the December 29, 2023 issue of FRIDAY